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Mr.  and  Mrs. 
&).  J.  Rogers 


Second  edition,  revised. 


ALL    RIGHTS   RLSErtVEJ  («        •  •> 


We  have  no  apologies  to  offer  for  the  fol- 
lowing pages.  Many  of  the  chapters  were 
written  while  we  were  in  India,  and  we  were 
directly  connected  therewith.  They  are  true  to 
life  generally  in  that  land.  A  number  of  the 
articles  have  appeared  in  American  papers. 

At  the  request  of  friends,  we  publish  this 
book. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Rogers. 

Fitchburg,  Oakland,  Cal., 

November  15,  1910. 


345722 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  Americans  Complimented  13 

II  Scene  at  Jain  and  Rahm  Temple       17 

III  A  Strange  Occurrence  24 

IV  A  Hindu  Wedding  26 
V  Isaac  33 

VI  At  Lover's  Lodge  37 

VII  "That's  What  Gets  Me"  42 

VIII  The  Devil  in  the  Well  43 

IX  Officers  at  Igatpuri  48 

X  Superstition  Defeated  52 

XI  A  Hindu  God  56 

XII  Among  the  Tombs  60 

XIII  Why  She  Became  Queen  66 

XIV  Beggars  at  Igatpuri  68 
XV  Pardevi  70 

XVI  TheMistri  74 

XVII  Hindus'  Incineration  Ground     -       83 

XVIII  Nanahar's  Translation  91 

XIX  TheDhobi  -  93 

XX  Little  Assuria  100 

XXI  A  Marvel  106 

XXII  Grinding  at  the  Mill  108 

XXIII  An  Old  Man's  Sacrifice  -       -      112 


CHAPTER  .1. 


FEW  days  ago  we  were  occasioned  to  go 
to  Bombay  and  bring  supplies  for  the 
mission.  We  went  to  the  station,  pur- 
chased our  ticket,  and  entered  our  compart- 
ment in  the  railway  carriage  where  we  noticed 
a  dark-faced,  heavy  set,  elderly  native  sitting  in 
a  corner,  and  took  a  seat  by  his  side.  Conver- 
sation ensued.  The  train  left  the  station  and 
we  were  soon  going  at  full  speed  toward  our 
destination.  As  it  takes  about  three  hours  to 
make  this  journey,  it  gave  us  quite  a  while  to 
talk  over  some  religious  and  secular  subjects. 

We  were  about  to  finish  our  colloquy  when 
the  aged-faced  man  looked  up  into  my  face  and 
said,  "I  judge  you  are  an  American  missionary, 
are  you  not?" 

"Yes,  my  friend,  I  am." 

"Well,  sir,  I  am  glad  w^e  could  make  this 
trip  together.  I  always  like  to  talk  to  Ameri- 
cans." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  but  do  you  not 
like  to  chat  with  people  from  other  countries?" 

"Oh,  yes;  but  I  like  Americans  best." 
13 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
"But  why  do  you  like  them  best,  may  I 
ask?" 

"Well,  sir,  because  I  have  lived  many  years 
and  have  never  known  one  of  them  to  smoke 
or  swear." 

The  train  entered  Victoria  Terminus,  which 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  elaborate  railway 
stations  in  the  world,  and  we  parted,  but  before 
parting  we  gave  our  new  friend  an  invitation  to 
call  at  the  mission  on  his  return,  for  which  he 
thanked  us  and  promised  to  come. 


14 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 


CHAPTER    II. 
Scene  at  TJain  an6 


|BOUT  seven  or  eight  blocks  from  the  mis- 
sion will  be  found  what  is  called  the  Jain 
and  Rahm  temple.  It  is  one  of  the  best 
in  appearance  of  any  of  the  temples  about  Igat- 
puri,  however,  it  is  not  so  much  our  intention 
to  write  about  it  as  it  is  to  discuss  the  individuals 
in  front  of  it. 

You  will  notice  five  men,  one  of  whom  is 
sitting  on  the  steps.  This  is  the  priest  in 
charge,  and  the  two  standing  beside  him  are 
what  the  Hindu  calls  "holy  men."  The  others 
down  in  front,  holding  umbrellas,  are  devotees. 
The  one  at  the  left  is  studying  for  the  priest- 
hood, and  the  other  is  a  corn  and  cloth  mer- 
chant of  the  village,  who  has  just  been  to  wor- 
ship. 

The  priest  is  quite  well  learned,  and  speaks 
Hindustani,  Marathi,  Sanskrit,  and  English. 
He  confines  himself  to  teaching  the  Marwardi 
caste  only.  In  front  of  him  you  will  notice  a 
small  stand  with  a  book  on  it.  The  stand  is  like 
those  used  by  many  natives,  especially  in  the 
schoolrooms;  but  the  book  is  not  considered  so 
.17 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
common  or  unclean  as  to  be  allowed  to  fall 
into  promiscuous  use.  It  is  said  to  be  the  story 
of  Rahm,  and  is  entitled  Rahmin.  This  priest 
studies  and  also  teaches  it.  In  the  reading  of  it 
to  his  disciples,  he  is  very  careful  to  avoid  mak- 
ing any  mistakes,  for  should  he  make  any,  he  is 
liable  to  lose  his  position. 

It  is  not  the  priest's  duty  to  tell  folks  of 
their  sin  and  wickedness;  he  must  ever  make 
believe  they  are  good  and  righteous.  He  must 
not  rebuke  them,  "for,"  says  he,  "if  I  do,  they 
will  become  angry  with  me  and  I  shall  get  no 
money,"  and  apparently,  this  priest's  chief  aim 
is  to  get  all  the  money  he  can,  wrhich  his  wor- 
shippers give  him  full  liberty  to  do. 

He  arises  at  four  every  morning  and  takes 
a  cold  bath,  offering  prayers  at  the  same  time. 
You  will  notice  that  he  has  his  forehead,  arms 
and  breast  painted,  which  he  does  in  reverence 
to  his  gods,  for  this  is  one  way  he  acknowledges 
to  the  world  whom  he  worships.  The  paint  is 
simply  a  mixture  of  ashes  and  water.  The 
beads  around  his  neck  are  radroksh,  the  berries 
of  the  tree  elecarpm  gaaitrus,  commonly  used 
for  rosaries.  He  holds  two  short  strings  of 
beads  in  his  hands,  which  he  uses  to  count 
prayers  on  also. 

In  connection  with  the  duties  of  the  priest, 
18 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
it  is  his  business  to  instruct  his  people  in  any 
matters  relative  to  life,  sickness  and  death.  He 
performs  marriages,  and  by  a  certain  calendar 
in  his  possession,  is  enabled  to  tell  his  people 
when  it  is  a  good  time  to  marry. 

The  "holy  men,"  or  more  properly  speaking, 
fakirs,  are  said  to  make  themselves  holy  by 
going  to  Benares,  Rameshwar  or  Nasik  and 
paying  a  few  rupees  to  be  branded  with  a 
stamp  bearing  the  name  of  whichever  of  the 
above  cities  they  enter.  The  stamp  is  made  of 
gold,  silver  and  copper,  milled.  It  is  put  into 
the  fire  and  left  there  until  red  hot;  then  taken 
and  applied  to  the  right  arm  near  the  shoulder. 
Should  a  woman  be  made  holy,  she  is  branded 
on  the  left  arm. 

The  fakirs  in  this  picture  went  to  Ramesh- 
war to  go  through  the  process  of  being  made 
holy.  Now  they  go  begging  for  a  living. 
They  are  not  compelled  to  beg,  but  do  so  as  a 
matter  of  choice.  They  are  stopping  in  our 
village  for  four  months  now,  and  when  the 
rains  are  over,  will  journey  on.  Believing  it  to 
be  a  sin  for  them  to  ride,  the}'  walk  excepting 
when  they  are  ill.  Their  caste  can  eat  mutton 
religiously,  but  they  cannot.  They  buy  hair  to 
wear  on  their  heads  in  addition  to  what  they 
already  possess,  and  have  full  beards  and  never 
21 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

shave. 

No  one  is  permitted  to  touch  a  fakir's 
chatti  (drinking  cup).  If  perchance  somebody 
does,  he  flies  into  a  temper  and  goes  immedi- 
ately for  a  new  one.  When  he  dies,  it  is  placed 
on  his  grave  unless  he  is  high  caste;  then  it  is 
buried  with  him. 

You  will  also  notice  a  man  holding  a  tumba 
in  his  left  hand.  This  he  uses  in  carrying  water 
and  rice  as  well  as  employs  for  begging  pur- 
poses. His  master  presented  it  to  him  when  he 
came  to  the  completion  of  being  made  "hQly," 
after  their  manner. 

A  tumba  is  no  more  than  a  brass  or  wooden 
vessel.  These  people  prefer  them  made  of 
wood  with  brass  bands,  as  rice  keeps  better  in 
wood,  and  the  bands  keep  the  wood  from 
cracking.  When  this  fakir  dies,  his  tumba  will 
be  returned  to  the  priest  who  gave  it. 

The  book  held  by  the  fakir  standing  on  the 
right  hand  side,  is  called  Gifa.  It  is  a  popular 
Hindu  poem,  said  to  be  like  David's  psalms, 
and  was  written  by  a  celebrated  fakir  by  the 
name  of  Walmek. 

The  priest  in  charge  at  this  temple,  told  us 

plainly   that   he  was  convinced  that  he  was 

wrong,  and  did  not  believe  at  all  in  what  he 

was  teaching.    We  asked  him  why,  then  he 

22 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
did  not  stop  such  delusive  work,  and  he  con- 
fessed that  it  was  only  for  the  money  that  he 
held  his  position.    Several  times  he  called  on 

us,  and  was  anxious  that  Mrs.  R come  and 

teach    his    wife,  children,  and  mother  about 
Jesus  Christ. 


23 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    III. 
*3V  Strange  Occurrence. 


|EVERAL  days  ago  a  young  man  friend  of 
ours  needing  some  change,  asked  his 
mother  for  one  rupee,  whereupon  she 
brought  the  amount  and  laid  it  on  their  table. 
After  a  short  conversation,  both  mother  and 
son  left  the  room,  and  a  little  later  returned  to 
get  the  rupee,  when  behold,  it  had  disappeared! 

During  their  absence,  there  had  been  no 
one  in  the  room  save  a  Hindu  who  was 
employed  as  a  servant,  and  he  was  speedily 
summoned  into  account. 

"Boy,  where  is  that  rupee  we  left  on  the 
table?" 

The  servant  replied,  "Ham  ko  ne  a  fa," 
which  literally  says,  "It  does  not  come  to  me," 
meaning  he  did  not  know. 

"Yes,  you  do.    Now  tel1  the  truth." 

"No,  I  don't,"  he  rejoined,  "and  if  I  do,  I'll 
lose  one  of  my  fingers  before  morning." 

Nothing  more  was  said.    The  servant  was 

sent  on  an  errand  to  the  bazaar.    On  his  return 

to  the  bungalow,  a  dog  came  running  after  him 

and  bit  off  one  of  his  fingers.    The  young  fel- 

24 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
low  was  much  frightened  and  ran  to  the  bunga- 
low with  his  hand  paining  and  bleeding,  con- 
fessing his  theft. 

A  strange  occurrence,  yet  ever  and  anon  sin 
will  out,  for  has  not  God  said,  "Be  sure  your 
sin  will  find  you  out?" 


"O   Sahib,  my  finger!" 


25 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
CHAPTER    IV. 


|ROM  before  sunrise  in  the  morning  until 
after  midnight,  the  drums  have  been 
beating  and  the  bagpipes  have  not  ceased 
to  peal  forth  their  peculiar  melody.  We  see 
people  running  to  and  fro  in  the  street  carrying 
green  branches,  and  stopping  in  front  of 
Mochi's  place  of  business,  for  Mochi  is  a  shoe- 
maker. With  these  branches  and  some  sticks, 
they  are  erecting  a  sort  of  an  arbor  which  pro- 
jects part  way  across  the  public  street. 

As  drums  and  horns  and  most  any  and 
every  kind  of  music  and  noises  are  common  at 
feasts,  shows,  and  the  burial  or  burning  of  the 
dead,  we  think  all  this  tamasha  so  far  nothing 
strange;  but  as  various  other  things  take  place 
one  after  another  and  all  at  the  same  time,  our 
curiosity  is  aroused,  and  we  ask,  "What  is 
going  on  at  the  shoe  shop?" 

The  answer  comes  from  our  always  well- 
informed  ayah  ( native  nurse,  for  she  is  ever 
the  village  gossip),  "A  Hindu  wedding."  Being 
the  first  we  had  heard  of  at  our  station  since 
our  arrival  in  this  wonderland  of  the  East,  we 

26 


CATCHING     TODDY. 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
could  not  refrain  from  asking  the  privilege  to 
attend,  and  were  gladly  granted  the  same. 

Here  we  go.  "Shall  we  be  in  time?"  Well, 
as  it  lasts  for  several  days,  we  shall  be  in  time 
for  some  of  it  at  least;  but  I  should  like  you  to 
see  it  with  us. 

We  arrive  at  the  bungalow  and  hear 
shouts,  singing  and  the  same  old  music  rolling 
on.  A  group  of  women  and  girls  are  in  the  rear 
of  the  scene,  while  men  and  boys  make  merry 
out  under  the  arbor.  All  sit  on  the  ground, 
which  serves  the  purpose  of  a  floor  in  India, 
especially  among  the  common  and  lower  castes. 
The  men  are  drinking  some  light-colored  liquid 
and  from  the  way  they  act,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  it  is  some  strong  drink.  (Prov.  20:21.) 

A  certain  native  discovers  the  American 
guests  standing  near  the  doorway  and  wel- 
comes us  with  smiles  and  kind  words,  though 
we  can  scarcely  hear  what  he  says,  owing  to 
the  musicians  going  at  full  speed,  who  have 
evidently  espied  us  also  and  are  displaying 
their  skill. 

After  a  short  interview,  our  friend  calls  the 
father  of  the  bridegroom,  who  seems  to  be  boss 
of  the  whole  affair — I  presume  it  is  because  he 
pays  the  bills,  and  I  must  add,  these  are  costly 
days.  Indeed,  weddings  mean  many  days — yes, 

29 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
years  of  hard  labor,  and  oftentimes  more  than 
the  savings  of  a  lifetime  are  spent  in  a  single 
day  for  the  occasion.  The  cost  varies  consider- 
ably. Some  spend  one  hundred  rupees,  while 
others  spend  many  times  that  amount.  A  con- 
tinual feast  is  carried  on  for  days.  Opium  and 
intoxicants  are  greatly  indulged  in,  and  an  elab- 
orate display  of  fireworks  is  expected. 

However,  the  father  reaches  us,  throws  up 
his  hands  and  begins  to  shake  his  fists,  the  result 
of  which  reminds  one  of  a  throttle  on  a  railway 
engine, — as  soon  as  the  throttle  is  moved,  the 
train  begins  to  "slow  up."  Almost  immediately 
the  noise  was  hushed. 

"Would  you  like  to  have  your  pictures 
taken?"  we  asked,  for  we  had  taken  our  camera 
with  us.  "Whatever  is  your  wish,  sir,"  he 
replied.  So  arrangements  were  made,  and 
before  we  got  through,  the  whole  multitude 
wanted  to  be  photographed — quite  unlike  the 
jungle  folks,  who,  when  we  turned  our  camera 
upon  them,  took  to  their  heels  lest  they  should 
be  killed.  There  were  father,  brothers,  uncles, 
aunts,  in  fact,  as  aforesaid,  all  the  wedding 
guests  march  into  the  street  and  a  picture  is 
taken  and  nobody  injured. 

To  the  right  stands  the  father;  near  the  cen- 
ter is  a  young  man  with  a  chadar,  a  piece  of 

30 


TO  THE 'RIDICULOUS 
cloth  draped  in  the  shape  of  a  cross  over  his 
breast.    This  is  the  bridegroom  with  his  bride, 
a  little  girl  about  nine  years  old,  at  his  right. 

She  wears  a  red  sari  ( dress)  decorated  with 
white  fancy  work;  a  necklace  worth  twenty -one 
rupees  (seven  dollars)  around  her  neck;  four 
rings  on  her  toes,  two  in  each  ear,  silver 
bracelets  on  her  arms  and  wrists,  and  a  large 
nosegay.  She  appears  quite  fancy  in  her  bridal 
habiliment,  which  has  been  given  her  by  the 
bridegroom. 

Look  at  her — a  mere  child,  with  many 
responsibilities  of  a  full  grown  person.  The 
ceremony  was  officially  performed  the  third 
day  of  the  feast,  but  the  wedding  is  not  yet 
over  and  three  days  have  passed  since  then. 
She  has  not  been  allowed  to  rest  since  the  first 
day  of  her  wedding — she  nor  her  husband. 

But  the  great  day  of  her  life  is  on — in  India 
as  in  America — the  day  all  girls  look  forward 
to — the  wedding  day.  Yet,  alas,  how  vastly 
different!  The  consent  of  the  parties  vitally 
interested  in  this  marriage  and  most  others  here 
has  never  as  much  as  been  thought  of  nor  con- 
sidered. Perhaps  having  never  met  before  the 
wedding  day,  they  take  each  other  for  better, 
for  worse  because  of  their  parents'  agreement 
in  the  matter. 

31 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
As  for  love,  the  rule  in  India  is,  "Marry 
first  and  love  will  come  after;"  and  generally 
speaking,  it  does,  at  any  rate,  on  the  side  of  the 
young  wife,  who  is  said  to  be  the  essence  of 
devotion  to  her  lord  and  master. 

"Her  faith  is  fixt  and  cannot  move, 
She  darkly  feels  him  great  and  wise, 
And  dwells  on  him  with  faithful  eyes, 
'I  cannot  understand:  I  love.'  " 


32 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 


CHAPTER   V. 


IAAC   is   industrial    after    the    oriental 
method, — that  is  to  say,  he  is   always 
doing  something,  but  is  economical  of 
energ3r  rather  than  time. 

If  there  are  more  ways  than 
one  in  doing  a  thing,  he  has  an 
unerring  instinct  which  guides 
him  to  choose  the  one  that  costs 
the  least  trouble.  He  is  a  fatal- 
ist in  philosophy,  and  this  helps 
him  too,  for  in  transplanting  a 
rose  bush,  he  breaks  off  the  root 
to  save  him  the  trouble  of  dig- 
ging deeper,  for — if  the  plant  is 
to  live,  it  will  live;  if  it  is  to  die, 
it  will  die,  for  do  not  some  plants 
live  and  some  plants  die?  This  is  when  Isaac 
serves  as  a  mallee. 

Yes;  some  plants  live  and  some  plants  die, 

but  more  disappear, — and  when  I  mention  the 

subject  to  Isaac,  he  treats  me  as  a  dreamer  of 

dreams  and  declares  we  never  had  such.    How- 

33 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
ever,  I  find  out  later  that  he  carries  on  a  small 
nursery  and  seed  business  of  his  own;  so  decide 
to  let  him  go. 


ii-ii     y      w    0 

/  //.  ///.  /v. 

GD 


« 


34 


COLOMBO.      CEYLON. 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 

CHAPTER    VI. 

^Hover's 


|ES,  here  we  are,  where  "the  spicy  breezes 
blow  soft  o'er  Ceylon's  Isle," — back  in  a 
grove  of  cocoanut  palms — Lover's  Lodge 
they  call  it,  and  well-named  it  is,  for  one  feels 
as  though  he  would  like  to  spend  the  rest  of  his 
life  here,  after  his  long,  wearisome  journey  out 
from  England. 

We  spring  from  the  rickshas  with  delight;  a 
Singhalese  servant  meets  us  at  the  door  and 
directs  us  into  the  spacious  drawing  room. 
These  are  the  first  few  hours  we  have  spent  on 
land  since  going  ashore  at  Suez,  and  how 
refreshing  it  is !  The  host  and  hostess  are  very 
cordial,  making  everything  as  pleasant  as  pos- 
sible for  us.  He  is  a  government  official  and 
relates  many  deeply  interesting  incidents  of  life 
here. 

How  strange  it  all  seems!  Truly  we  are  in 
a  different  world,  we  think,  after  our  tete-a-tete 
especially,  and  filled  with  wonder,  we  retire  to 
our  room  where  we  anticipate  sleeping  once 
again  in  a  bed  that  stands  still.  This  night  we 
are  not  to  be  "rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the  deep," 
37 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
where  we  so  often  failed  to  'lay  us  down  in 
peace  to  sleep,'  for  indeed,  we  had  awful 
storms  at  sea,  tossed  about  at  a  terrible  rate  in  a 
condemned  vessel;  actually  lost  for  three  hours, 
and  when  the  Captain  got  his  bearings,  which 
were  determined  by  a  certain  star  that  appeared 
toward  morning,  we  found  ourselves  just  off 
the  island  of  Perim  where  the  poor  China 
sank.  Only  a  little  while  and  we  saw  her  mast 
rising  out  of  the  water. 

At  such  a  time  one  cannot  help  being  re- 
minded of  Pat's  answer  when  he  was  asked 
which  he  would  rather  be  in,— a  wreck  on  land 
or  at  sea.  After  thoughtfully  scratching  his 
head,  he  replied:  "Faith,  and  I  should  prefer  to 
be  in  a  wreck  on  land,  for  then  there  you  are; 
but,  and  if  you  are  in  a  wreck  and  go  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea,  then  where  you  are?" 

But  I  must  not  dwell  on  that  dreadful  night 
for  we  are  now  preparing  to  retire  and  are  soon 
in  bed,  right  in  the  veranda  window,  where 
fresh,  cool  air  comes  pouring  in — happy,  con- 
tent, ready  for  dreamland,  when  we  feel  a 
strange  sensation  in  our  limbs.  What  a  queer 
streak  our  circulation  has  taken!  Reminds  one 
of  blood  trickling  through  some  lower  vein  of 
the  limb.  Surely  it  will  pass  off  soon,  we 
think,  when  behold!  it  becomes  violent  and 

38 


THE     COBRA. 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
even  more  violent,  till  we  are  alarmed, — and 
finally,  such  a  wriggle  comes  that  we  do  not 
take  time  to  think  farther  or  conclude,  but  out 
through  the  mosquito  netting,  which  has  so 
quietly  tucked  us  in  for  the  night,  we  find  our- 
selves upon  a  chair  shouting  out  to  the  rest  of 
the  house  to  come  and  see  what  is  in  the  bed. 

The  hostess  comes  smiling  through  the 
door,  for  true  to  the  Orient,  nothing  worries 
her. 

"I  forgot  to  tell  you  to  watch  for  snakes," 
said  she.  "They  are  common  with  us  here," 
and  walking  over  to  the  bed,  they  saw  the  fel- 
low crawling  out  along  under  the  sheet,  mak- 
ing for  the  veranda  window — yes,  that  very 
window  which  we  appreciated  so  much  upon 
retirement.  Needless  to  add,  that  we  had  bad 
dreams  that  night  whenever  we  took  time  to 
dream.  Oh,  that  wriggle!  We  shall  never  for- 
get it;  and  even  though  "all  the  world  does  love 
a  lover"  we  must  say  in  warning,  that  there 
may  be  things  about  any  Lover's  Lodge  that 
are  not  altogether  lovable,  especially  in  this 
part  of  the  world.  It  seems  that  there  is  ever 
something  lurking  around  the  corner  seeking 
your  life.  Ne  fronti  crede. 


41 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    VII. 
"Z5M's  >#M  (Bets  3tte." 


)T  long  since,  a  missionary  friend  of  ours 
while  on  his  way  to  our  station,  met  a 
Brahmin,  and  during  the  course  of  their 
conversation,  he  approached  the  subject  of 
Christianity. 

The  Brahmin  remarked  that  he  had  been 
educated  in  a  Christian  mission  school  and  had 
learned  much  of  the  Bible. 

At  this  our  friend  asked  the  high-caste 
Hindu  (for  that  is  what  a  Brahmin  is)  what  he 
thought  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Brahmin  said:  "Of  course,  I  do  not 
believe  in  Jesus  Christ  as  you  Christians  do,  but 
I  must  confess  he  did  some  things  I  cannot  but 
think  about." 

"May  I  ask  what  some  of  them  are?"  quer- 
ied our  friend. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Brahmin,  "you  know 
when  they  went  to  kill  him,  he  said,  'Father, 
forgive  them.'  That's  what  gets  me." 


42 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
~3>evil  in 


|N  OUR  mission  compound  we  have  three 
wells.  Two  of  these  are  very  shallow, 
and  do  not  amount  to  very  much.  If 
they  did,  they  would  probably  have  some  his- 
tory like  the  third  one  which  is  in  our  front 
yard,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  front  door  of  the 
bungalow. 

Several  years  ago  a  few  natives  were  hired 
to  dig  the  "front  well,"  agreeing  faithfully  to 
dig  it  wide  and  deep,  and  give  the  owner  a  fine 
one  so  he  might  have  water  the  year  round 
and  not  suffer  lack  during  the  dry  season. 

The  work  is  begun.  They  dig  about  two 
feet  down  and  find  nothing  but  rock.  At  this 
discovery  they  bring  crowbars,  dynamite,  etc. 
I  might  say  right  here  that  our  India  folks  have 
not  modern  improvements  on  every  line;  in 
fact,  most  everything  is  done  in  a  primitive 
manner.  We  dig  through  rock  with  muscles 
and  crowbars;  blast  by  attaching  a  lighted  can- 
dle to  the  end  of  a  long  stick  or  pole,  so  as  to 
reach  from  a  distance  the  powder  for  the  pro- 
cess. 

43 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

The  combat  is  on.  Pounding  and  blasting 
are  heard.  Pieces  of  rock  ascend  and  lay  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground  above.  After  days  of 
labor,  the  workmen  reach  a  depth  of  about  fif- 
teen feet  when  all  of  a  sudden  the  noise  ceases, 
and  they  come  climbing  out  of  the  well. 

"Why  are  you  not  working?"  asks  the 
owner  of  the  place. 

"O  Sahib,  devil  in  the  well!" 

"You  men  go  to  work  and  keep  your  con- 
tract. There  is  nothing  of  the  kind  in  the  well." 

"Oh  yes  there  is,  Sahib.  We  have  dug  un- 
til we  have  come  to  flint  rock  and  that  is  a  sign 
that  Shaitan  (Satan)  is  in  the  well." 

"I  must  have  it  deeper  and  if  you  do  not 
work,  what  shall  I  do?" 

"We  will  work,  Sahib,  but  we  must  first  go 
and  offer  sacrifice  to  our  gods." 

"Very  well,  go.    Don't  be  long." 

"We  won't  be  long,  Sahib;  but  you  must 
give  us  a  cock  and  a  lamb  for  the  sacrifice." 

"Nay,  nay;  I'll  never  give  you  nor  anyone 
else  such  things  for  offerings  to  stone  and 
wooden  gods,"  concludes  the  Sahib,  and  the 
men  leave— yes,  leave— and  to  this  day  the  old 
well  stands  as  it  was  then  left.  We  have  ex- 
plored the  bottom  of  it  and  find  dirt,  old  tin, 
rags  and  all  sorts  of  filth,  but  the  only  life,  how- 

44 


THE      BUNGALOW 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
ever,  that  we  ran  across  was  in  frogs,  eels  and 
numerous  flies  and  insects. 

The  devil  is  not  in  the  well;  he  resides  in 
the  millions  of  stony  hearts  and  wells  that  hold 
not  the  "living  water." 


47 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Officers  at  Ifgatpuri. 


|NDIA  not  only  has  her  beggars,  half- 
naked,  half-starved,  illiterate  people,  but 
also  possesses  officials,  well-clad,  well- 
fed  and  educated  folk.  Here  we  have  a  picture 
of  the  officers  at  Igatpuri,  for  you. 

The  two  men  holding  canes,  sitting  in  the 
front  row  are  the  magistrate  and  his  assistant, 
who  are  the  chief  officers.  The  registrar,  chief 
constables,  pleaders,  municipal  secretary  and 
land  clerk  make  up  the  rest  of  that  row. 

The  second  is  composed  of  court  clerks, 
and  in  the  third  row  are  the  armed  police  and 
court  peons. 

The  learned  men  of  this  country,  such  as 
seen  on  the  front  row,  are  probably  the  most 
difficult  class  to  deal  with  on  religious  lines. 
We  wonder  not  at  the  statement  of  Rev.  W.  T. 
Walker,  who  said  he  had  to  deal  with  "men  of 
keen  powers  of  intellect,  whose  subtle  reason- 
ing made  one  look  at  the  foundation  of  one's 
own  faith." 

Passing  strange,  is  it  not,  that  men  of  this 
rank  should  believe  in  and  worship  idols? 

48 


TO  THE  -RIDICULOUS 
But  we  remember  "not  many  mighty,  not  many 
noble  are  called,  but   God  chose   the  foolish 
things  of  the  world,  that  he  might  put  to  shame 
them  that  are  wise." 

These  officers  carry  on  about  the  same 
kind  of  work  as  those  of  our  homeland.  They 
rank  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  caste,  but 
all  intermingle  in  business.  Some  of  them  feel 
as  important  over  their  offices  as  some  other 
folks  we  know  of,  and  put  on  as  many  "airs"  as 
some  of  our  English  officials. 

'  As  we  neared  the  courtyard  a  few  days  ago 
we  noticed  one  of  these  men  with  a  sort  of  a 
red  silk  robe  on.  We  started  toward  him  but 
how  quickly  he  vanished  from  our  sight!  Upon 
inquiry,  we  learned  that  he  had  just  taken  a 
religious  bath  which  rendered  him  quite  pure 
and  holy,  according  to  his  views,  and  as  he 
feared  we  might  come  in  touch  with  and  in 
some  way  pollute  him,  he  hastened  away  as  he 
did  not  want  to  bother  with  another  ablution 
that  morning. 


51 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    X. 
Superstition 


|NE  DAY  when  one  of  our  native  preach- 
ers was  in  the  bazaar,  a  high-caste  Hindu 
challenged  him  to  make  a  trip  to  Ghoti, 
a  village  about  five  miles  distant,  on  a  full 
moonlight  or  a  "full  dark"  night.  The  high- 
caste  promised  the  preacher  ten  rupees  if  he 
accepted  and  carried  out  this  challenge. 

Let  it  be  understood  that  the  majority  of 
Hindus  believe  Satan  is  out  on  very  light  or 
dark  nights  to  injure  the  kali  log  (black  people); 
therefore,  they  believe  it  dangerous  to  stroll  at 
length  under  these  conditions. 

The  challenge,  nevertheless,  is  accepted 
with  the  understanding  that  the  acceptor  is  to 
go  to  Ghoti  on  the  coming  night  and  call  on  a 
a  certain  other  Hindu,  from  whom  he  is  to  bring 
a  letter  stating  the  fact  that  he  has  made  the 
midnight  visit. 

Night  came.  It  was  intensely  dark,  but  the 
preacher  lighted  his  lantern  and  started  on  his 
ten-mile  journey.  He  arrived  at  Ghoti  about 
midnight,  made  the  required  visit  and  returned 

52 


NATIVE     PREACHER. 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
to  Igatpuri  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
The  high-caste  was  awakened;  evidence  was 
given  that  the  challenge  had  been  carried  out. 
The  Hindu  lost  his  ten  rupees,  and  the  devil 
failed  to  catch  the  preacher  of  Jesus  Christ. 


55 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
CHAPTER    XL 


IALKING  a  short  distance  from  the  mis- 
sion bungalow,  we  see  what  is  called  a 
"Hindu  god."  It  is  a  peculiar  looking 
affair  for  human  beings  with  immortal  souls  to 
fall  down  and  worship. 

This  god  is  erected  out  in  an  open  field 
where  anyone  and  everyone  can  inspect  it 
While  many  go  there  to  worship,  the  writer 
went  there  and  stood  with  sorrow  way  down 
deep  in  his  heart.  Two  texts  came  to  his  mind 
as  he  watched  the  worshippers  of  this  stone. 
The  first  text  was:  "I  perceive  that  in  all  things 
ye  are  too  superstitious."— Acts  17:22.  The 
other  was:  "Ye  worship  ye  know  not  what." — 
John  4:22.  Thank  God,  we  as  Christians  know 
what  we  worship.  We  have  the  glory  in  our 
souls. 

If  you  take  a  look  at  the  picture,  you  will 
not  see  anything  very  attractive.  The  stones 
around  this  heap  of  earth  are  in  a  reckless  con- 
dition, the  large  one  in  the  center  being  the  one 
that  is  worshipped.  With  the  inscriptions  that 
it  has  on  its  face,  it  appears  more  fit  for  a  tomb- 

56 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
stone  than  anything  else,  even  though  painted 
a  dark  red. 

This  is  a  god  of  no  love,  no  feeling,  no  life, 
no  power,  no  hearing,  no  light,  no  seeing,  no 
thinking,— dumb,  earthy,  all  vanity.  They  that 
make  them  are  like  unto  them.— Psa.  115:8. 

What  our  God  does  according  to  John: — 

1.  He  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world — 
-1:29. 

2.  He  saves  the  world — 1:29. 

3.  He  gives  life— 6:33. 

4.  He  gives  light — 9:5. 

5.  He  gives  glory  and  makes  us  one  with 
Him— 17:22. 


59 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    XII. 

e  "Combs. 


|MONG  the  places  frequented  by  visitors 
who  come  to  Igatpuri,  is  the  Moham- 
medans' cemetery.  It  is  quite  different 
from  the  burning  ghat  where  nothing  can  be 
seen  after  a  funeral  service  except  an  ash  heap. 
Here  we  find  bodies  stored  away  in  tombs.  The 
white  monuments  over  these  tombs,  which  are 
erected  in  memory  of  the  departed,  give  the 
place  a  modern  aspect. 

These  often  have  an  ornamental  design, 
but  inscriptions,  which  go  to  make  up  a  place 
of  this  kind  in  the  homeland,  are  one  of  the 
missing  links  here.  It  would  be  difficult  and 
next  to  impossible  to  do  any  engraving  or  use 
the  chisel  on  these  stones,  for  the  inner  compo- 
sition is  only  mud  dried  or  burned  in  the  fire, 
which  is  afterwards  slightly  coated  with  cement 
and  whitewashed.  Of  course,  during  the  rains 
the  whitening  washes  off,  but  as  the  cool  season 
is  ushered  in,  they  are  whitened  again. 

As  we  write,  we  are  reminded  again  of  our 
Saviour's  words,  "Whited  sepulchres,  which 

60 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
indeed  appear  beautiful  outward,  but  are  full  of 
dead  men's  bones  and  all  uncleanness." 

On  the  northwest  corner  of  this  plot  of  land 
is  a  native  house  with  three  rooms.  One  room 
is  used  for  storing  implements  and  tools;  an- 
other, the  center  room,  is  for  the  public  to  use 
for  drinking,  smoking,  eating  opium  or  any- 
thing else,  sleeping,  and  for  the  purpose  of 
offering  special  prayers  to  the  devil.  The  third 
room  is  the  quarters  of  two  men  who  wait 
upon  the  visitors  and  give  information  as  to 
where  the  dead  are  buried.  Both  of  them  are 
darweshes  and  lead  what  is  called  a  holy  life. 
One  is  quite  old  and  worships  the  devil.  If  a 
Mohammedan  has  a  demon,  he  visits  this  devil 
worshipper  and  inquires  what  he  shall  do  to  be 
relieved.  At  this  request,  the  old  man  goes  and 
gets  a  book,  which  he  has  filled  with  his  own 
handwriting,  and  reads  from  it  in  Hindustani  in 
a  sort  of  a  buzzing  manner,  then  tells  the  in- 
quirer he  can  capture  the  demon  for  him. 

Of  course,  the  poor,  deluded  fellow  asks 
what  he  shall  do.  The  reply  is  heard,  "Bring 
me  some  limes  (small  lemons),  some  camphor, 
a  stick  of  incense  and  some  money." 

'Tis   brought.    The   old  man    burns    the 
camphor  and  incense,  takes  a  lime  in  his  hand 
and  prays  to  the  devil,  after  which  he  passes 
63 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
the  lime  to  the  inquirer  and  tells  him  to  take  it 
home  and  put  it  in  his  bed,  near  the  head,  and 
the  devil  will  flee.  If  this  promise  comes  to 
pass  according  to  the  inquirer's  mind,  he  makes 
the  second  gift. 

Some  people  take  brass  or  copper  lockets 
and  have  the  old  man  write  something  on  a 
bit  of  paper,  which  they  enclose  therein.  They 
then  string  the  locket  around  their  necks,  with 
the  belief  that  no  evil  spirits  can  harm  them. 
Others,  instead  of  putting  the  writing  in  the 
locket,  enclose  a  bit  of  pig's  hair,  believing  this 
to  have  the  same  effect  in  frightening  devils 
away. 

Among  the  tombs  there  is  a  plot  where 
nothing  can  be  seen  excepting  four  old  wooden 
posts,  which  serve  as  legs  to  hold  up  a  covering 
made  of  corrugated  iron.  Under  this  covering 
lies  the  body  of  a  priest,  who  requested  that  no 
tombstone  be  erected  over  his  grave,  and  told 
the  people  that  whosoever  might  desire  any- 
thing after  his  death  might  come  to  his  grave 
and  worship  him,  and  he  would  grant  their 
desires. 

Under  one  of  the  trees  you  will  notice  a 
large  jar  which  contains  water.  On  top  is  a 
small  cup  used  in  dipping  water  from  the  jar 
and  filling  the  tins  that  can  be  seen  on  the  box. 

64 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
The  Mohammedans  use  these  tins  of  water  in 
washing  their  mouths,  hands  and  feet  after  they 
have  buried  a  body,  being  very  particular  to 
thus  purify  themselves  before  entering  the 
house. 

When  we  visited  these  grounds,  we  were 
welcomed  by  darweshes,  who  took  great  pride 
as  well  as  care  in  showing  us  around.  We  had 
just  finished  our  visit  when  it  began  to  rain, 
and  we  were  invited  to  come  into  the  house — 
that  center  room.  A  number  of  people  were 
preparing  opium  to  smoke.  Sitting  down  on  a 
mat  which  lay  on  the  floor,  we  began  to  preach 
Christ,  a  Saviour  for  all. 

They  listened  well  to  the  Gospel  news,  but 
what  the  outcome  of  that  message  will  be  in  the 
hearts  of  these  opium  fiends  and  devil  worship- 
pers, we  know  not.  We  leave  that  with  the 
many  other  questions  attendant  our  service  for 
the  Master  "until  the  day  dawn  and  shadows 
flee  away." 


65 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Queen. 


IVERYTHING  great  and  good  in  Hindu- 
stan has  some  traditional  origin  as  does 
every  atrocity  and  absurdity.  One  of  the 
famous  traditions  concerns  the  late  queen  of 
England,  viz:  why  she  was  so  good  and  kind. 
It  is  supposed  that  in  years  agone  she  was  a 
frog,  and  the  story  of  her  transmigration  is  this: 

A  wealthy  king  and  his  servants  were  tiger 
shooting  in  the  jungles.  At  camp  one  day  they 
left  a  deksha  (pan)  of  milk  open,  which  a  cobra 
espied  and  crept  into,  quite  concealing  his 
deadly  presence.  A  frog  sat  near  by  and  be- 
came much  troubled,  for  she  thought  of  how 
the  king,  when  he  returned  weary  and  thirsty, 
would  go  to  drink  the  milk  and  be  attacked  by 
the  cobra. 

Pondering  how  to  save  the  king's  life,  the 
happy  thought  seized  her  to  jump  into  the  milk 
just  as  she  should  see  him  coming.  This,  she 
knew,  would  end  her  life,  for  the  frog  is  con- 
sidered unclean,  and  of  course,  her  presence 
would  defile  the  milk  and  the  king  upon  seeing 

66 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
her  in  it,  would  angrily  dash  the  milk,  herself 
and  all  to  the  ground. 

And  so  he  did,  but  upon  seeing  the  cobra 
spring  from  the  bottom  of  the  deksha,  he 
shuddered  at  the  thought  of  how  near  death's 
clutches  he  had  been,  and  instead  of  further 
cursing  the  frog  for  what  he  at  first  thought  a 
dastardly  deed,  quite  understanding  her  motive 
and  appreciating  her  sacrifice  of  life  for  him, 
poured  forth  blessing  upon  her,  and  said  she 
should  be  a  great  and  good  queen,  and  such  she 
became. 


o 


67 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

at  "3<jatp uri. 


|ERE  they  come!  Who  are  they?  It  is  the 
lame,  the  halt,  the  sick  and  the  blind. 
They  vary  in  size  as  well  as  age.  Some 
are  mere  babes  facing  a  life  of  poverty  and 
misery,  while  others  are  in  old  age  and  have 
eked  out  a  mere  existence  to  the  present  and 
will  until  death  comes  to  relieve  them. 

How  did  they  become  halt,  lame  and  blind? 
Some  were  born  that  way  and  others  were 
made  so  by  their  parents  in  order  to  excite 
sympathy.  Being  in  this  condition,  some  are 
compelled  to  carry  sticks  or  crutches,  others 
are  crawling  on  their  hands  and  other  parts  of 
their  bodies.  This  is  a  horrible  sight!  Surely 
we  have  "the  poor  with  us." 

How  filthy!  Half  naked.  A  soldier's  wife 
just  out  from  England,  exclaimed  to  a  mission- 
ary, "My,  how  these  people  dress!"  and  the 
missionary  responded,  "My,  how  they  don't 
dress!" 

Did  you  say  they  had  vermin?  Yes,  and 
plenty.  As  they  approach,  we  notice  that  a 
couple  of  them  have  fallen  out  of  line.  One 

68 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
sits  on  the  ground  while  the  other  extricates 
the  live  stock  from  the  field  of  hair.  Shortly 
this  execution  is  ended  and  these  with  the  rest 
of  the  crowd,  have  entered  the  mission  com- 
pound. They  gather  at  one  corner  of  the  bung- 
alow and  are  ready  for  service.  The  meeting 
opens  with  a  song  something  like  this: 

Jai,  jai,  jai!    Masih  ki  jai, 

Maslub  jo  hua  hai; 
Be-hadd  hai  uska  p'yar  ajib, 

Jai,  jai!     Masih  ki  jai. 

In  substance  they  are  singing:  To  Jesus  is 
the  victory.  He  was  crucified  for  us.  Surely 
his  love  is  wonderful.  After  the  song,  a  mis- 
sionary offers  prayer,  and  then  comes  the  mes- 
sage. While  that  is  being  given,  some  seem 
more  inclined  to  fight  than  listen;  however,  the 
preacher  stills  his  congregation  and  finishes 
his  discourse.  Now  questions  are  asked  and 
answered,  and  they  are  dealt  with  in  regard  to 
their  souls. 

Lastly,  the  rice  question  is  on.  Not  all  are 
given  rice — only  those  who  are  disabled,  and 
they  receive  one  cup  each,  after  which  they  re- 
turn to  their  shelter  provided  by  the  towns- 
people. Some  of  them  have  accepted  Christ  as 
their  Saviour.  Others  who  are  able  to  work 
have  thrown  over  their  caste  and  labor  with 
their  hands,  making  an  honorable  living. 
69 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
CHAPTER    XV. 


|MONG  the  twelve  villages  visited  by  our 
mission  is  Pardevi.  It  is  a  small  vill- 
age with,  perhaps,  not  much  over  fifty 
inhabitants,  and  is  situated  on  a  large  rock  on 
the  northeastern  slope  of  one  of  the  peaks  of 
the  Western  ghats  about  three  miles  from  the 
mission. 

Although  not  far  distant,  yet  on  account  of 
its  rough  and  crooked  path,  it  takes  as  much 
time  and  strength  to  reach  it  as  it  does  those  of 
a  greater  distance.  There  is  no  wagon  road 
leading  to  it — nothing  but  a  narrow  footpath 
filled  with  rocks,  and  during  the  monsoons  that 
is  crossed  by  numerous  rivulets.  In  some 
places  it  is  almost  perpendicular  and  so  narrow 
that  two  persons  can  hardly  pass  each  other. 
As  we  come  to  the  summit  of  this  mountain 
path,  we  are  invariably  ready  for  a  rest,  and 
after  taking  that,  we  go  down  a  steep  incline 
and  on  through  what  is  known  as  "tiger 
jungle." 

This  jungle  is  filled  with  gloom.  After  one 
enters  he  cannot  see  much  of  anything  but  ani- 

70 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
mals,  reptiles,  shrubbery  and  the  sky  above. 
The  tiger  frequents  this  jungle  during  the  hot 
season  when  water  is  scarce.  Only  recently  a 
doctor  from  England  shot  a  tiger  in  it.  The 
hooded  cobra,  India's  king  of  snakes,  a  most 
venomous  viper,  has  his  den  here  also.  We 
often  see  him  on  our  journey  to  and  from  the 
village. 

It  is  generally  about  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  we  arrive  at  Pardevi.  The 
meetings  are  opened  with  song  while  the  na- 
tives gather.  Usually  there  are  about  thirty- 
five  at  the  service.  There  would  be  more  but 
usually  some  are  working  in  the  field  or  caring 
for  the  buffaloes.  All  that  attend  listen  eagerly, 
as  a  rule,  and  ask  many  questions  about  our 
religion. 

The  first  time  we  went  to  this  village,  we 
began  our  meeting  near  an  old  wood  pile,  when 
an  elderly  native  invited  us  into  an  old  Hindu 
temple.  The  invitation  was  accepted.  We  en- 
tered and  found  it  empty  with  the  exception  of 
a  remnant  of  a  stone  god.  From  that  first  visit, 
which  was  many  months  ago,  we  have  used 
this  temple  for  Gospel  services. 

Pardevi  is  one  of  the  most  receptive  villages 
we  are  evangelizing.    They  feel  the  need  of  a 
faith  that  offers  more  to  man  than  theirs  does. 
73 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
Z3l)c  Mlistru 


|HE  MISTRI,  and  surely  he  is  a  mystery 
in  very  fact.  We  tried  to  do  without  him 
more  than  once,  but  like  so  many  other 
things  in  this  world,  he  seems  to  be  a  necessary 
evil,  at  times  in  India.  However,  evil  or  no 
evil  (as  unlikely  as  the  latter  may  be),  he  is 
necessary  and  we  must  not  be  ironical.  He  is 
to  be  appreciated,  indeed. 

Well,  there  are  mistries  and  mistries.  There 
are  some  that  when  we  get  them,  we  can  do 
nothing  but  dismiss  them,  and  this  is  not  only 
hard  on  them  but  a  discount  to  ourselves  as 
well;  for  every  dismissal  weakens  our  position, 
and  in  the  morning  conference  in  the  bazaar 
among  the  servants,  none  holds  so  low  a  place 
as  the  sahib  (master  or  gentleman)  who  has 
had  five  cooks  in  six  months.  In  fact,  he  who 
parts  with  his  servants  lightly  can  scarcely  re- 
tain a  good  servant.  Only  loafers  will  come  to 
him  and  he  must  pay  them  a  good  price. 

But  they  come — some  one,  always — as  soon 
as  it  is  found  out  the  sahib  is  in  need  of  a 
mistri. 

74 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
Here  is  Rama,  a  jack  of  all  trades,  whom 
we  afterward  employed  as  mallee,  dhambar- 
wallah  and  most  any  other  kind  of  a  wallah 
(wallah  meaning  most  anything  here)  that  we 
needed,  for  whatsoever  we  needed  on  the  line  of 
a  servant,  Rama  dressed  up  for  the  occasion  and 
appeared  before  us  for  the  position;  always 
ready  for  work  but  never  had  any,  at  least,  for 
long  at  a  time — even  if  he  should  he  was  ever 
for  finding  an  easier  place.  Poor  Rama!  he 
was  not  a  tile  short  in  the  upper  story  when  it 
came  to  lying,  stealing,  shirking,  and  so  on;  in 
fact,  nulli  secimdus  in  all  these  graces  (?)  char- 
acteristic of  the  Hindu;  but  to  look  at  him,  he 
was  a  most  unsuspecting  creature,  whether  he 
appeared  as  a  Hindu,  Christian  or  Moham- 
medan, for  indeed,  he  was  whichever  suited  his 
convenience  pro  tern. 

However,  we  found  we  could  ill  afford  to 
keep  him,  so  along  came  the  prophet-looking 
old  Mohammedan  with  his  whiskers  dyed  in 
red,  signifying  he  had  made  a  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca,  visited  the  kaaba  stone  and  paid  his 
rites  to  Mohammed.  He  does  very  well  as  a 
cook,  but  all  of  a  sudden  one  day  he  flies  into 
a  rage  at  the  bheesti  (a  Hindu  water  carrier) 
which  culminates  in  his  chasing  him  all  about 
the  place,  with  the  carving  knife,  after  which 
77 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
he  ushers  himself  into  the  presence  of  the  mis- 
tress of  the  house  and  informs  her  that  he  is 
quite  ready  to  beat  every  servant  on  the  place, 
gesticulates  in  such  a  manner  as  to  include  her 
ladyship  and  the  sahib  also,  if  his  honor  re- 
quired it. 

Of  course,  he  leaves,  and  a  Goanese  comes 
on  the  scene.  This  descendant  of  Goa  wears  a 
black  coat,  with  continuations  of  checked  jail 
cloth,  and  a  hat  which  he  removes  at  the  gate 
as  he  enters  the  compound.  He  has  good  chits 
(recommendations)  but  despite  those,  we  know 
that  Christmas  has  a  certain  fatality  for  him— 
and  then,  too,  his  cardinal  vice  is  cruelty,  not 
the  passive  Asiatic  cruelty  either,  but  that  fero- 
cious brand  which  generally  marks  an  infusion 
of  European  blood.  True,  it  is  rather  a  weak 
infusion  after  having  filtered  through  so  many 
generations,  but  it  shows  itself  in  one  way  and 
another,  especially  in  the  torture  of  crows  and 
in  the  killing  of  chickens  by  the  inches.  With 
all  this  intelligence,  we  hardly  care  to  try  him, 
but  we  do  even  though  he  soon  disappears. 

Next  comes  the  Madrassee  with  his  spheri- 
cal turban,  and  his  remarkable  command  of 
English.  He  is  supposed  to  prepare  that  famous 
luxury,  "Madras  curry,"  and  we  engage  him. 

He  appears  neat  as  the  average,  but  that  is 
78 


THE      BHEESTI 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
not  saying  much.  His  studio  is  fitted  with  a 
few  small  fire  places,  and  furnished  with  copper 
dekshas  (pots  or  pans),  a  chopper,  some  tin 
spoons,  a  cocoanut  shell  ladle  on  the  end  of  a 
stick,  a  curry-stone,  a  rickety  table  whose  undu- 
lating surface  is  chopped,  hacked  and  scarred, 
besmeared,  begrimed,  and  stained  with  all  sorts 
of  juices.  On  this  he  minces  meat,  chops  on- 
ions, raisins,  rolls  out  his  pastry  and  sleeps.  He 
has  always  to  make  toast  for  breakfast,  which 
operation  he  performs  by  holding  the  bread  be- 
tween his  great  and  next  great  toe,  up  to  the 
fire  to  brown. 

He  uses  many  tea  towels  or  dusters  as  we 
call  them  here,  but  the  most  common  in  use  is 
the  tail  of  his  shirt,  which  he  always  conven- 
iently wears  outside  his  pantaloons. 

Though  he  has  a  table,  he  persistently 
washes  the  dishes  on  the  earthen  floor,  never 
using  any  soap,  but  a  handful  of  earth  or  most 
any  kind  of  dirt  now  and  again  during  the 
process.  Truly  the  poet  is  right  wrhen  he  says: 

"Where  ignorance  is  bliss, 
'Tis  folly  to  be  wise," 

and  especially,  when  we  consider  the  cook- 
house. To  think  of  the  nice  looking  dishes  the 
average  cook  can  set  before  one  from  such  a 
kitchen,  makes  us  marvel.  One  can  never  tell 

81 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
what  process  the  food  has  gone  through  before 
it  reaches  the  table.    No  matter  what  gets  into 
it  in  the  way  of  filth,  insects,  worms,  etc.,  so 
long  as  it  can  be  strained  out. 

But  before  laying  the  pen  down,  we  must 
tell  you  of  a  certain  Englishman  who  had  just 
found  a  treasure  of  a  cook.  The  English  are 
very  fond  of  good  coffee,  and  this  particular 
one  was  telling  his  friend  about  the  delicious 
drink  his  cook  could  prepare,  and  invited  him 
over  to  sample  it. 

He  came.  The  coffee  with  some  biscuits 
was  ordered.  After  the  usual  time  elapsed,  in 
came  the  cook  with  the  air  of  any  of  his  kind. 

The  guest  tasted  the  coffee  and  exclaimed: 

"Fancy!  How  delicious!  Simply  superb! 
How  does  he  make  it,  pray?" 

The  host  called  the  cook,  saying,  "Boy,  tell 
the  gentleman  how  you  prepared  the  coffee." 

Of  course,  this  touched  his  vein  of  pride 
and  he  began  in  his  pidgin  English: 

"Me  takes  some  water  and  puts  the  coffee 
into  it,  and  me  biles  and  biles  it.  Then  me 
break  one  egg  into  it,  and  then  'i strain  it  thro' 
my  master's  sock — and, — and," 

"What?"  shouted  the  Master,— "what?"  and 
ere  he  could  go  farther,  the  cook  cried  out  consol- 
ingly, "O  sahib,  it  was  a  dirty  one,  a  dirty  one." 

82 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
Iffin6us'  incineration  (5roun6. 


|N  INDIA  we  have  more  than  one  way  of 
disposing  of  the  dead.  Some  are  burned, 
some  are  laid  on  towers  to  be  devoured 
by  vultures,  some  are  buried  and  some  are 
thrown  into  deep  wells. 

The  Hindus  burn;  yet  not  all  of  them.  Only 
the  Brahmin  (priest  caste),  banyah  (grain  deal- 
ers), deshmuk  (warriors),  and  the  Marathi  (cop- 
persmiths, goldsmiths,  etc.)  are  allowed  to  burn, 
and  that  is  with  the  provision  that  they  are  mar- 
ried. This  rule  stands  good  regardless  of  age. 
Years  ago  when  human  sacrifice  was  in  vogue, 
when  a  priest  died,  his  wife  was  burned  alive 
with  his  corpse. 

You  will  excuse  us  if  we  take  a  look  into 
the  home  of  a  dying  Hindu,  who,  in  a  few 
hours  will  be  dead  and  carried  to  the  burning 
ghat.  It  is  said  that  he  would  not  be  dying 
were  he  not  possessed  of  a  demon,  and  the  pro- 
cess to  get  rid  of  the  demon  is  begun.  It  would 
be  bad,  indeed,  should  he  die  in  demon  posses- 
sion. Instead  of  sending  for  a  doctor,  they 
summon  the  devil  catcher. 

83 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

He  solemnly  enters  the  home  and  after 
some  deliberation,  requests  that  sweetmeats, 
chicken,  cocoanuts,  red  cloth,  and  two  or  three 
rupees  be  put  into  the  basket.  This  he  takes 
and  tosses  three  or  four  times  in  front  of  the 
dying  man,  claiming  to  have  power  to  persuade 
the  demon  to  take  his  departure  and  go  and 
have  a  square  meal. 

The  basket,  with  its  contents,  is  ordered  to 
be  taken  to  the  jungles  or  wherever  the  devil 
catcher  may  suggest.  After  an  hour  or  so,  he 
tells  some  one  to  go  and  see  if  the  sweetmeats, 
etc.  are  in  the  basket.  They  go  and  invariably 
the  basket  is  found  to  be  empty. 

During  the  hour  or  two  that  has  intervened 
the  devil  catcher  has  employed  another  of  his 
caste  to  go  and  empty  the  basket.  The  rela- 
tives of  the  dying  man,  however,  are  ignorant 
of  this,  and  seeing  the  food  gone,  believe  the 
demon  has  taken  his  flight  and  gone  to  have  a 
meal,— therefore,  the  afflicted  will  "die  good," 
as  they  express  it. 

Death  comes.  The  remains  are  placed  on 
a  bamboo  carry-all,  and  by  the  aid  of  four  men, 
borne  to  the  place  of  cremation. 

Wood  and  oil  are  taken  for  the  fire.  If  rel- 
atives can  afford  it,  oftentimes  ghi  (a  sort  of 
clarified  butter)  is  used  with  the  oil.  On  top 

84 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
the  pile  of  wood  the  corpse  is  carefully  laid. 
Whatever  oil  or  grease  they  have  is  now  poured 
on  the  heap,  and  it  is  ready  for  the  match  and 
flames.    Who  will   start   the  fire?    If  the  de- 
parted has  left  a  son,  he  will  do  it;  if  there  are 
two  or  more  sons,  it  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  eldest. 
Should  there  be  no  sons,  the  oldest  brother  per- 
forms it,  and  if  no  brother,  then  the  wife;  if  no  . 
wife,  then  the  nearest  remaining  relative. 

At  any  rate  the  fire  is  started.  Flames 
ascend  high  in  the  air.  This  makes  quite  a 
sight,  especially  when  it  takes  place  at  night. 
Not  long  ago,  one  evening  at  about  nine 
o'clock,  we  could  see  the  mentioned  flames 
from  our  rear  mission  window. 

Those  attending  a  cremation  service  are 
supposed  to  stay  till  the  head  bursts  open;  then 
go  and  wash  in  a  well  or  river,  else  perhaps  a 
tank.  In  Igatpuri  they  stay  the  proper  time, 
then  rush  for  the  town  tank  located  near  the 
municipal  school,  and  have  a  bath. 

The  relatives  must  now  stay  in  the  house 
for  ten  days.  After  that,  the  ashes  of  the  corpse 
are  thrown  in  the  river.  Hurrah  for  a  big  din- 
ner! As  everything  demandent  on  them  in  con- 
nection with  this  death,  has  been  accomplished, 
they  believe  they  must  have  a  feast  or  Mahadev 
(a  heathen  god)  will  become  angry  with  them, 

87 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
and  they  will  never  get  to  the  Hindus'  heaven, 
which  is  commonly  supposed  to  be  Nirvana,  a 
state  of  non-existence.    The  highest  state  of  be- 
ing is  not  to  be,  they  think. 

Every  year,  the  first  day  after  the  new 
moon  in  August,  they  gather  at  the  cremation 
ground  and  eat  chapatties  (unleavened  cakes  or 
bread),  dhal  (lintel  seed  or  pulse)  and  rice  in 
memory  of  these  occasions. 

A  striking  incident  took  place  with  a  very 
stout  man  who  died  near  us.  When  his  body  was 
taken  to  be  burned,  his  relatives  bought  fifteen 
gallons  of  kerosene  oil  and  the  same  amount  of 
£hi  and  used  for  the  fire.  The  fire  became  ex- 
tremely hot;  the  burning  body  sat  up  amid  the 
flames  and  shortly  after,  came  rolling  out 
toward  the  bewildered,  frightened  crowd,  for 
they  thought  the  dead  had  come  to  life.  At 
this  crisis  they  took  to  their  heels  and  left  the 
burning  corpse  to  himself. 

Looking  at  the  picture,  on  the  right  hand 
you  will  notice  a  few  little  white  mounds;  these 
are  ash  heaps  of  the  dead.  The  large  stone 
work  is  what  we  might  properly  call  a  combi- 
nation monument  and  god.  On  top  can  be 
seen  a  small,  round  stone  and  a  reclining  bull, 
which  is  called  Mahadev's  Find,  and  is  a  very 
popular  idol  in  India. 

88 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
This  structure  was  erected  by  the  rich  wife 
of  a  former  chief  constable  of  Igatpuri,  in  mem- 
ory of  her  son  and  daughter  who  died  of  plague 
in  1899.  It  is  four  feet  long,  three  feet  and  six 
inches  high,  three  feet  and  three  inches  wide. 
In  front  of  the  bull  on  top  are  four  sacred  foot- 
prints carved  in  the  stone.  These  are  in  mem- 
ory of  Bhoud,  another  heathen  god,  who,  it  is 
said,  walked  to  Ra  mesh  war,  then  entered 
heaven,  leaving  his  footprints  on  earth.  Bhoud 
is  supposed  to  have  power  with  Mahadev  to  get 
the  Hindus  into  their  heaven. 

In  the  center  of  the  largest  stone  is  carved 
the  son's  age  which  is  twenty-four  years,  and 
the  daughter's  which  is  twenty-nine.  At  the 
base  of  this  stone  are  two  small  ones  bearing 
footprints  also.  The  one  on  the  left  hand  with 
larger  prints  is  for  the  departed  son.  His  name, 
Annah,  is  inscribed  just  back  of  the  footprints. 
The  right  hand  stone  with  smaller  footprints 
engraved  is  for  the  daughter,  having  on  it  her 
name,  Bima. 

But  bear  with  us  while  we  retreat  or  return 
to  the  burning  ghat  and  find  what  the  relatives 
of  the  ashes  do  after  ten  days  indoors,  mentioned 
before.  First,  we  see  them  burning  camphor  as 
incense.  Then  flour  is  spread  on  the  ground 
and  left  there  until  the  next  day,  when  the  rela- 

89 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
tives  return.    If  they  find  the  footprints  of  an 
animal  or  bird  in  the  flour,  they  believe  the 
departed  soul  has  gone  to  live  in  that  creature 
which  left  its  tracks  therein. 


90 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
itanaljar's  'Granslatlon. 


jANAHAR,  a  boy  nine  years  of  age,  who 
has  been  an  active  little  worker  in  one 
of  our  Sunday  schools,  has  recently 
gone  to  glory-  He  was  taken  ill  on  Thursday 
night,  with  a  high  fever  and  passed  away  on 
the  following  Saturday. 

The  last  Sunday  he  attended  Sunday  school 
he  seemed  extra  cheerful  and  was  anxious  to 
quote  the  golden  text  of  the  lesson,  which  ran 
thus:  "In  my  father's  house  are  many  man- 
sions, if  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you.  I 
go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you." 

This  boy  was  unusually  bright,  and  truly  a 
worker  for  Jesus.  He  was  among  the  first  to 
go  out  into  the  streets  and  gather  others  into 
the  Sunday  school.  Less  than  a  day  before  he 
passed  away  he  said,  "I  will  take  six  new  boys 
to  Sunday  school  next  Sunday." 

When  the  news  came  to  the  mission  that 
Nanahar  had  gone,  sorrow  filled  our  hearts. 
We  went  to  his  home  and  there  laid  the  little, 
lifeless  form  with  nothing  but  a  piece  of  thin 
cloth  under  it,  on  the  damp  mud  floor.  He  had 

91 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
little  clothing  and  no  bed.  His  parents  were 
too  poor  even  to  have  a  lamp  that  would  give 
light  enough  so  we  could  see  around  the  room 
in  which  he  laid.  His  home  was  made  mostly 
of  mud,  and  had  no  windows.  Indeed,  it  was  a 
dark,  dismal  place.  A  candle  was  brought  and 
lit  enabling  us  to  see  where  we  were. 

The  casket  in  which  the  body  was  after- 
ward laid,  was  made  of  cheap  wood  and  cov- 
ered with  white  cloth.  A  bouquet  of  white 
flowers  tied  with  white  ribbon,  was  placed  on 
top  of  the  little  form.  A  short  service  was  held 
after  which  the  remains  were  taken  and  buried, 
to  await  the  great  resurrection. 

We  miss  him.  He  is  now  with  Jesus.  His 
translation  has  given  the  school  a  deeper  inter- 
est in  heaven.  Thank  God  for  open  doors  in 
India,  to  missions,  and  for  the  glorious  oppor- 
tunity to  reach  these  children  born  in  heathen- 
ism, and  teach  them  the  way  of  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord. 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


|HE  DHOBI  is  the  washerman  of  India. 
In  America  we  speak  of  the  laundry,  a 
place  where  clothes  are  washed,  while 
in  India  we  speak  not  so  much  about  the  place 
or  room  as  we  do  about  the  man  who  does  the 
work.  In  Igatpuri  we  have  a  number  of 
houses  given  over  to  dhobi  occupants.  The 
dhobi  enjoys  living  near  others  of  his  caste, 
therefore,  where  one  is  others  will  be  found. 

India's  washerman  has  some  utensils  that 
Noah  left.  He  uses  mud  stoves,  rough  sticks 
for  racks,  and  any  rough  stone  will  do  for  a 
washboard.  Before  we  left  New  York  city  for 
India,  we  purchased  a  small  washboard  with 
hopes  of  introducing  something  better  than  a 
stone  in  washing  clothes.  Our  hopes  thus  far 
have  been  blighted,  as  they  are  not  slow  to  give 
us  to  understand,  though  it  is  in  a  meek,  mild 
way,  that  what  is  good  enough  for  their  re- 
nowned ancestors  is  good  enough  for  them. 

The  dhobi  commences  his  wash  in  a  pecul- 
iar way.  He  has  a  brass  vessel  two  feet  in 

93 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
diameter  and  eight  inches  deep  which  is  nearly 
filled  with  water.  Then  some  soap  or  khar,  a 
sort  of  salt  mineral,  is  added  to  the  water,  and 
the  vessel  placed  on  the  mud  stove  and  securely 
cemented  in  with  mud.  A  few  sticks  are  placed 
across  the  top  of  the  vessel  and  the  soiled 
clothes  piled  upon  them,  oftentimes  reaching  as 
high  as  five  feet.  Covered  over  with  many 
blankets,  the  fire  is  started,  and  in  this  way  the 
clothes  are  steamed  for  about  five  hours. 

When  the  steaming  process  is  completed, 
the  clothes  are  taken  to  some  brook  and  beaten 
upon  stones.  He  takes  them  by  one  end  and 
bringing  them  over  his  head,  lets  them  come 
down  at  a  rapid  rate  on  the  stone  thus  removing 
the  dirt,  which  he  has  taken  in  hand  to  eradi- 
cate from  the  garment.  But  the  one  is  so 
closely  mingled  with  the  very  fibres  of  the  other 
—the  one  is  impalpable,  the  other  bulky  and 
substantial,  and  so  the  torrent  of  his  zealous 
rage  unconsciously  turns  against  the  very  sub- 
stance of  that  which  he  set  himself  lovingly  to 
purge  and  restore  to  its  primitive  purity.  In- 
deed, we  sometimes  find  that  while  he  has 
wrecked  the  garment,  he  has  overlooked  the 
dirt!  Greater  and  better  men  have  been  em- 
ployed in  the  same  way. 

Such  are  the  consolations  of  philosophy, 
94 


THE      DHOBI 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 

"But  there  was  never  yet  a  philosopher 
Who  could  endure  the  toothache  patiently," 

so  what  can  we  expect  from  our  dhobi  even  in 
patient  Hindustan? 

Howbeit,  let  us  go  on  with  the  wash.  The 
bluing  is  carried  on  in  the  same  manner  as  in 
America,  and  the  starching  as  well,  though  our 
starch  is  made  from  rice.  Racks  and  lines  are 
used  in  holding  the  clothes  for  drying,  the  latter 
being  so  arranged  that  there  is  no  need  of 
clothes  pins  which  we  deem  necessary  in  the 
homeland.  There  is  a  certain  twist  they  give  it 
through  which  one  end  of  the  garment  can  go, 
which  twist  takes  the  place  of  pins. 

One  day  as  we  were  walking  through  a 
field  near  the  mission,  where  several  dhobies 
had  lines  filled  with  clothes,  it  began  to  rain. 
We  noticed  each  dhobi  run  toward  his  lines, 
and  beginning  at  one  end  they  ran  the  length  of 
each,  taking  every  garment  as  they  ran.  Since 
the  poet  says, 

"The  Englishman  hustles  the  Aryan  brown, 
And  the  Aryan  hustles  the  Englishman  down/' 

we  would  scarcely  imagine  that  land  of  no  am- 
bition excelling  Europeans,  much  less  hustling 
America,  in  anything.  But  this  clothes  line  is 
certainly  better  for  India  than  those  of  western 
nations  would  be,  for  when  a  heavy  storm 

97 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
comes  up  during  the  monsoons,  had  the  dhobi 
to  remove  the  pins  he  would  never  have  time  to 
get  his  clothes  in  before  the  rain  caught  them. 

Well,  the  dhobi  is  an  interesting  personage. 
Someone  has  likened  him  to  a  puppy  rending 
slippers,  a  child  tearing  up  his  picture  books,  a 
mongoose  killing  twenty  chickens  to  feed  one, 
a  free  thinker  demolishing  ancient  superstitions, 
—saying  lastly:  "What  are  all  these  but  dho- 
bies  in  embryo?"  and  we  feel  quite  the  same  as 
this  writer  evidently  does  about  him,  especially 
as  we  open  up  the  battered  garments  he  has 
just  brought  from  his  torture  chamber,  which 
have  been  ploughed  through  with  his  big  char- 
coal iron,  lengthwise,  crosswise,  slantwise,  and 
every  "otherwise" — with  now  and  then  a 
glimpse  of  long  black  streaks,  and  spots  where 
glowing  cinders  have  dropped  on  their  tender- 
est  places. 

But  we  shall  not  worry  over  this  for  per- 
haps the  next  time  before  the  damaged  articles 
find  their  home,  they  will  have  gone  the  rounds 
and  some  kind  little  body  will  have  mended 
them  up  nicely,  while  we  content  ourselves  by 
wearing  a  substitute  that  the  same  good  dhobi 
has  bestowed  upon  us,  because  of  his  having  no 
education  to  enable  him  to  read  the  markings 
or  to  remember  which  is  which  (even  though 

98 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
he  has  marked  most  of  them  himself  right  in 
the  most  conspicuous  place,  with  an  everlasting 
ink.) 

Then  the  dhobi  has  a  trick  of  hiring  out 
clothes.  You  cannot  evade  the  necessity  for 
clean  shirt  fronts,  ill  able  as  your  precarious  in- 
come may  be  to  meet  it.  In  this  or  any  other 
connection  the  dhobi  finds  you  garments  of  the 
best  quality  at  so  much  an  evening,  and  you 
are  saved  all  risk  and  outlay  of  capital.  In  this 
way  the  wealth  of  the  rich  helps  the  want  of  the 
poor,  without  their  feeling  it  or  knowing  it 
(usually) — an  excellent  arrangement,  of  course. 

A  missionary  missed  some  articles  of  cloth- 
ing, especially  a  blouse.  She  had  expected  to 
wear  it  at  a  gathering  in  the  village  in  the 
evening,  but  lo,  it  could  not  be  found  when  the 
dhobi  brought  the  clothes.  However,  she 
donned  another  blouse  and  on  her  way  to  the 
gathering,  found  a  native  woman  quite  well 
dressed  strolling  along,  and  thinking  she  saw 
something  familiar  about  the  woman,  looked 
closer  and  found  her  wearing  the  missing  blouse. 

Well— done,  undone,  ripped,  torn,  patched 
— salaam. 


99 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    XX. 
"tittle 


|Y  LITTLE  Assuria!  Let  me  show  him  to 
you.  Only  a  tiny  Hindu  child — once  the 
pet  of  the  family;  but  the  famine  came, 
that  dread  famine  with  no  mercy  right  nor  left 
—grasping  everything  in  its  reach.  Among  the 
other  thousands,  Assuria's  home  was  stricken 
and  one's  heart  wreaks  with  pain  as  he,  be- 
tween sobs,  rehearses  the  terrible  incidents  rela- 
tive to  the  family. 

Sisters  sold  for  a  few  pice  each,  and  sent 
away  to  be  used  for  immoral  purposes.  '  Torn 
from  their  famishing  loved  ones,  the  few  pice 
buys  a  few  more  ounces  of  rice  for  a  day  or  so 
more  of  life;  then  death  clutches  the  remainder 
of  the  family. 

Assuria  remembers  the  last  pile  of  human 
bones  he  saw  the  government  servants  rake  up 
and  burn  at  that  village;  and  well  he  should,  for 
his  mother,  though  a  Hindu,  fond  as  any 
mother  of  her  baby  boy,  was  in  the  burning. 

It  is  all  too  dreadful.  The  bones  crackle, 
sizzle,  burn;  and  he  and  his  elder  brother  real- 
izing what  it  meant  to  the  full,  started  out  in 
100 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
search  of  something  to  sustain  life— but  for  the 
most  part,  to  steal  away  from  the  sound  of  that 
horrible  fire  that  stole  all  there  was  left  of  their 
mother  dear. 

Only  a  few  mornings  before  she  had  crept 
around  as  best  she  could  on  hands  and  knees 
and  picked  up  grass  seeds  for  their  breakfast- 
none  for  herself— but  oh!  I  must  stop  talking 
about  her.  Imagine  the  worst — it  is  none  too 
terrible  for  those  famine  times. 

For  several  days  these  two  little  famine 
waifs  subsist  on  the  few  remaining  leaves  of 
the  trees  and  grass  seeds  that  they  find  now  and 
again,  but  at  last  the  brother  succumbs,  and  lit- 
tle Assuria  (for  I  have  yet  to  tell  you  he  was 
scarce  more  than  five  years  old)  wends  his  way 
alone. 

Finally,  gnawed  with  pangs  of  hunger,  fam- 
ishing of  thirst,  for  there  was  a  famine  of  water 
as  well  as  of  bread,  he  begins  to  eat  dirt,  earth, 
anything — and  lays  down  to  die. 

But  we  found  him.  Yes;  barely  more  than 
a  bundle  of  bones,  with  the  skin  drawn  down 
tightly  over  them;  a  mass  of  sores — his  stomach 
filled  with  stones — in  the  last  stages  of  starva- 
tion— feet  and  limbs  swollen,  reminding  us  of 
a  passage  in  Holy  Writ  which  reads  like  this: 
"Forty  years  didst  thou  keep  them  in  the  wil- 

103 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
derness,  so  that  their  shoes  waxed  not  old  and 
their  feet  swelled  not." 

But  Assuria  was  not  one  of  those  fortunate 
"kept"  ones.  He  had  never  heard  of  the  One 
who  "keeps."  His  heathen  god  was  one  that 
destroyed  rather  than  "kept"— one  that  loved  a 
human  sacrifice  above  all  other  offerings- 
thirsted  always  for  blood. 

Poor  child!  How  often  the  first  few  days 
—yes,  weeks,  the  little  lamp  of  life  seemed  to 
be  flickering  its  last,  but  with  careful  nursing 
and  a  morsel  of  food  now  and  again  (for  we 
gave  but  little  lest  we  should  overfeed  him),  we 
brought  him  back  to  life.  A  year  passes  by,  a 
few  months  more  and  he  stands  at  my  side,  a 
round,  bonny  face  and  big  bright  eyes  that  be- 
spoke sorrow.  He  was  among  the  number  that 
I  never  remember  seeing  smile,  though  he  was 
one  of  our  best  Christians. 

It  was  next  to  impossible  to  keep  him  from 
storing  away  a  portion  of  his  food.  With  his 
appetite  half  satisfied,  he  would  steal  away  to 
his  cot,  and  tucked  down  in  under  the  little 
blanket  would  be  found  enough  food  for  a  meal 
or  so  ahead.  He  lived  ever  expectant  of 
famine.  His  brown  eyes  often  filled  up  with 
tears  as  we  remonstrated  with  him  over  this 
habit,  and  it  was  one  of  his  greatest  griefs 
104 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
if  one  of  the  boys  stole  his  hidden  treasure 
from  the  cot. 

In  devotional  exercises  in  school,  in  Sun- 
day school,  church  and  village  meetings  he 
was  very  attentive,  and  gave  every  evidence  in 
daily  life  of  being  a  Christian. 

One  of  our  pleasures  those  days  was  to 
hear  him  tell  how  he  turned  from  idols  to  serve 
the  living  God,  and  hear  him  repeat  in  his 
native  tongue  one  of  his  favorite  passages 
which  seemed  ever  to  be  his  thought  in  sum- 
ming up  what  Christ  had  done  for  him:  "For  I 
was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I  was 
thirsty  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  in:  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me." 
We  seemed  then  to  lose  sight  of  the  long, 
tedious,  weary  hours  we  had  spent  in  watching 
and  caring  for  him,  and  forecaste  the  time  when 
the  Saviour  would  say  something  of  the  same 
to  us  when  we  stand  around  the  great  white 
throne. 


105 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 
CHAPTER    XXI. 


|AVE  you  ever  seen  a  twenty-five  pound 
stone  lifted  by  the  eyes?  We  have.  A 
native  juggler  came  to  our  door  one 
morning  to  perform.  He  says,  "Sahib,  if  you 
will  give  me  four  annas,  I'll  lift  that  patthar 
(stone),"  pointing  to  it,  "with  my  eyes."  It  was 
not  the  lightest  load  for  one  to  carry  to  the 
steps  where  he  stood,  but  wre  brought  it. 

He  pulled  a  strong  fish  cord  frpm  his  py- 
jamas, fastened  it  firmly  round  the  stone,  slipped 
the  other  end  in  back  of  his  eyes,  secured  it 
there  and  began  slowly,  slowly  to  pull  upward. 

We  were  just  about  to  have  him  give  up 
the  attempt,  for  fear  he  would  injure  his  eyes 
permanently,  when,  believe  me,  we  saw  the 
stone  had  been  raised  a  foot  from  the  ground! 

With  a  triumphant,  heroic  look  gladly 
enough  he  let  it  down  again,  slowly — brought 
his  hands  forward  (which  meanwhile  had  been 
folded  back  of  him),  removed  the  cord  and 
pushed  his  eyes  back  into  the  sockets.  They 
were  somewhat  bloodshot  but  otherwise  quite 
all  right,  which  was  one  of  the  greatest  won- 
106 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
ders  we  had  yet  run  across  in  this  half-hatched 
civilization. 

He  earned  his  four  annas  (eight  cents)  in  a 
comparatively  short  time  as  that  is  the  average 
day's  wages  for  a  good  workman. 


THIS   IS   ME 


107 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
at  tl 


(RINDING  at  the  mill  is  no  new  topic 
before  the  world.  It  has  been  heard  of 
and  seen  from  thousands  of  years  back 
up  to  the  present.  Sampson  experienced  it 
while  in  the  prison  at  Gaza;  Isaiah  prophesied  it 
as  a  judgment  to  come  on  the  daughters  of 
Babylon  and  Chaldea;  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord 
has  said:  "Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at 
the  mill;  the  one  shall  be  taken  and  the  other 
left." 

"Grinding  at  the  mill"  has  been  given  over 
to  the  women.  It  makes  no  difference  wrhether 
the  grinding  is  for  the  home  circle  or  for  the 
merchants  in  the  bazaar,  it  is  a  sort  of  "Let  the 
women  do  the  work."  The  masculine  sex  feel 
themselves  above  this  particular  line  of  labor. 

Low  wages  are  attached  to  this  as  well  as 
all  other  native  employment,  especially  since 
women  are  the  employees.  In  Bombay  Presi- 
dency we  pay  for  grinding  at  the  rate  of  one 
cent  for  two  pounds  of  wheat  or  corn,  one  and 
one-half  cents  for  two  pounds  of  rice,  one-half 
cent  for  two  pounds  of  dhal  Should  the  grind- 
108 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
ers  be  working  by  the  day,  they  receive  about 
six  cents. 

Grinding  stones  vary  in  size.  The  one  in 
the  picture  is  the  average  size.  Some  are  made 
for'  one  woman  to  operate,  and  again  some 
which  are  used  during  festivities  require  as 
many  as  fifteen  women  to  turn  them. 

Along  the  streets  during  the  heat  of  the  day 
the  grinders  may  be  seen  at  work,  seemingly 
not  minding  the  tropical  rays  of  the  sun.  As 
the  old  mills  grind,  they  send  forth  weird  sounds 
which  are  often  accompanied  by  minor  strains 
from  their  human  propellers,  for  indeed,  most 
of  India's  music  is  in  the  minor  key. 

Mothers  with  their  babes  in  their  laps  grind 
as  well  as  others.  The  babes  enjoy  the  "sound 
of  the  grinding"  (Ecc.  12:4)  giving  the  old  mill  a 
look  now  and  then,  with  a  few  winks  between, 
and  fall  asleep  as  though  rocked  in  a  cradle. 

All  that  some  folks  see  as  they  gaze  at  the 
grinding  of  the  mill  is  wheat,  rice,  dhal,  etc. 
Others'  attention  is  drawn  to  the  turning,  the 
peculiar  sounds,  the  operators,  the  babies,  etc., 
but  there  are  still  others  of  us  who  notice  not 
only  all  the  above  and  more,  but  seem  to  hear 
the  old  mill  stones  crying  out,  "Be  ye  also 
ready."— Matt.  24:44. 


Ill 


INDIA  FROM  THE  SUBLIME 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
O16  Sttan's  Sacrifice. 


|LL  DAY  lon^  the  people  had  been  coming 
with  their  offerings  to  the  goddess  Kali. 
Lambs  had  been  slain  by  hundreds — the 
best  of  the  flock,  without  spot  or  blemish  if  pos- 
sible, before  this  great  goddess  who  demands 
the  sacrifice  of  blood, — for  blood  she  must 
have,  even  to  the  blood  from  the  veins  of  her 
devotees. 

The  missionary  stands  rolling  it  all  over  in 
his  mind,  thinking  of  what  such  a  faith  must 
mean.  He  thinks  of  how  many  pilgrims  have 
tramped  through  long,  weary  journeys,  meas- 
ured their  length  for  hundreds  of  miles  to  reach 
this  goddess  and  appease  her  anger  toward 
them. 

As  he  muses  there  is  a  jostle  and  the  crowd 
pushes  aside.  The  air  is  filled  with  excitement. 
The  missionary  moving  toward  the  path  that 
leads  from  the  temple  gate  to  the  idol,  stops  and 
looks.  The  priests,  who  fall  heir  to  whatever  is 
offered,  draw  up  closer  to  the  idol,  greedily 
watching  the  object  before  them. 

It  is  a  pitiful  sight.  An  old  man — bent  with 
112 


HIFWDU      FAXIR. 


TO  THE  RIDICULOUS 
age— decrepit,  his  hands  clasped  as  though 
holding  something  very  precious,  he  comes 
nearer,  nearer  and  nearer  the  idol.  This  surely 
must  be  a  precious  offering,  thinks  the  mission- 
ary, as  he  sees  the  benighted  old  man  with 
slow,  feeble  step  nearing  the  idol. 

Eyes  of  all  are  turned  upon  the  scene.  He 
comes,  comes  still  nearer  and  finally  reaches 
the  altar— with  tears  falling,  devotion  beaming 
in  his  eyes,  hands  still  clasped.  He  bows,  falls 
on  his  knees,  unclasps  his  hands,  and  what 
should  fall  out  before  the  idol  but  his  tongue, 
all  covered  with  blood!  He  had  cut  out  his 
tongue— yes,  his  tongue— as  an  offering  to  this 
goddess  to  appease  her  anger,  ever  typical  of 
the  heathen's  offerings  to  their  gods.  They 
offer  the  very  best  of  whatever  they  have  to 
offer.  If  a  lamb,  the  best  lamb;  if  too  poor  to 
offer  only  a  flower,  it  is  the  best  flower. 

The  missionary's  heart  was  broken  as  he 
saw  the  disappointed  look  on  the  old  man's 
face,  after  his  offering  to  the  goddess.  He 
turned  to  him,  saying: 

"I  know  you  can't  speak,  but  if  you  have 
never  heard  of  Jesus  Christ,  kindly  shake  your 
head  three  times,"  and  with  tears  still  streaming 
down  his  face,  the  old  man's  head  slowly 
moved  from  side  to  side.  He  had  never  heard. 

115 


FITCHBLJRG,  OAKLAND,  CAL. 

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